


So you've chosen death

by Saltyfang



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir Bashing, Alya Césaire Bashing, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Character Death, F/M, Fake Ladybug, False Identity, Lila Rossi Bashing, Mentioned Lila Rossi, Original Character(s), Secret Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-21
Updated: 2020-11-16
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:00:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 17,895
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27133537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Saltyfang/pseuds/Saltyfang
Summary: Marinette and Adrien have been dating in secret when she's injured. She doesn't come to school for some time but finds that Adrien had been cheating on her. With her childhood best friend.Where is Lila? And who is this 'Ladybug' that everyone is talking about?
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Original Female Character(s), Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Damian Wayne, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Tikki, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Damian Wayne
Comments: 64
Kudos: 388





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> God, I'm a bitch to Chloe in this aren't I.   
> Also,  
> Alyssa=Bridgette  
> Bridgette= False Ladybug  
> False Ladybug= Alyssa.   
> You might need this soon.

Marinette had been contented. Happy. Elated. She’d been dating Adrien for three months albeit secretly. He had said it was because Gabriel hadn’t thought she was a good influence, with her designs being ‘mediocre’ at best. She had known Gabriel to be an arrogant prick and a bad father but damn if that hadn’t hurt.

Hearing her idol discredit her work had almost made her want to quit designing, crawl into a deep dark hole and die. Adrien had supported her decision but gentle prodding (read: forcing) from Damian encouraged her to continue her designs. Under the alias of M.N.W. According to Damian, it stood for Marinette ‘Nettie' Wayne since she was practically family although Damian’s intentions for ‘family' were for more selfish objectives. Tikki had tried to sway her in Damian's direction but alas she had been too blinded by her love for Banana Boy. 

  
It had frustrated Tikki to no end as ‘dates’ would turn professional meetings. More often than not, Adrien would leave her waiting, clinging onto the hope that he would come albeit hours later. He wouldn’t text or even call but Tikki would see Chat sitting on the rooftop, singing that melancholy song, waiting for Ladybug. He’d swing on to her chosen’s balcony, lurking in the shadows before Marinette would call out to him.

He’d take one look at her bloodshot eyes and her tear stained face before pulling her into a hug. Watching Marinette confide in Chat as to why she had been crying, completely oblivious to his guilty face had sickened her. Of course, Chat would swiftly change the subject to rant about how selfish Ladybug could be for missing out on their date, knowing full well that he was the cause of Marinette’s tears. God, she hated two faced people.

He’d turn up to school with absurd excuses, bluffing his way through. He’d kiss her senseless knowing it would make her embarrassed and disorientated. He’d promise and he'd promise and he’d promise but in the end she be left shivering outside in the cold. Damian would usually come cheer her up with his quick wit (and the chocolate that came with it) and she would forget the pain momentarily.

  
On the odd occasion daddy dearest had let him out, he would surprise her with yellow roses with red tips, which was slightly adorable but would barely impress Damian who came armed with an assortment of treats-baked by him- fabric rolls and a personalised ruby charm bracelet. For EVERY SINGLE hang out they had. It wasn’t uncommon to see Mari rocking both Damian and Adrien’s charm bracelets around her wrists which caught the attention of Lila. She’d weep and sob concocting a largely unbelievable lie.

She had actually been right with Damian actually purchasing the bracelet but it held no sentimental value to her as it actually had never been hers. With the class on her side, she waltzed out with an expensive free bracelet and a hell lot of bad luck courtesy of Tikki. It usually took a day or so to kick in although since she’d used the spell very often, it should have worked quickly. Tikki had feigned ignorance noticing the owlish look Marinette had. Instead, she tilted her head towards the class door, knowing it was a matter of time before Lila burst through.

  
Before she could even thank Tikki for the warning, she felt a hand drag her away. She had spaced out do much that it hadn’t registered that the stranger had yanked her into the supply closet, pulling her flush against their chest.

  
"That’s a really nice bracelet you had. Shame, I don’t know how you could afford it though, it probably cost a few hundred thousand euros. You’re parents don’t have that kind of money now, do they? I thought you knew better than to steal. Oops that was insensitive of me.” She couldn’t identify the figure in the dark but from the fabric she could taste due to their close proximity, it had felt expensive. The kind of material she used for commissions. 

  
“How did you know? And if you must know, although it in no way does it concern you, it was a gift.” She said using the curt dismissive tone Damian had taught her. “From an amazing person. So you have no right to call me a thief.” The closet door burst open, giving enough time for that bitch to slip away as her eyes adjusted to the sudden influx of light.

  
“Mari, are you okay?” she heard the familiar soft spoken voice. 

  
“Do I look like I’m fine?” she heard a distinct chuckle and her eyes zeroed in on a blond mop of hair.

“Adrien I’m so sorry. I thought you were Lila’s lackeys. You look a little worn out yourself. Are you good?” She saw his shiny swollen lips, rumpled shirt and hastily done up buttons but hadn’t allowed herself to think about more than that. Although he had been panting and his eyes were dark with a look she couldn’t decipher, she trusted him. More than she trusted herself. That would be her first mistake but she couldn’t dwell on it as she felt him move closer towards her.

  
“Can I kiss you Mar?” She hadn’t thought he’d deflect the question but she would kiss her boyfriend any day of the week. Thank God she had the foresight to apply her fierce pink passion fruit gloss. 

  
“Marinette, you...” he groaned running his fingers through her free hair. “You tease.”

  
“Me? A tease? I’d never.” she said winking at him before lacing her fingers around his neck.

  
“P-passion fruit. It- you smell so damn good.”

  
Ah.   
Ahhhh. That was what was driving him crazy.  
She inched closer placing a light kiss towards the side of his lips.

  
“Is that what you want?” She whispered punctuating each word with a kiss. She almost snorted when she saw his frantic shake of his head at her question. “There?"

A soft kiss on his nose.

“There?”

A tender kiss on his cheek.

She could see him vibrating in anticipation. He could wait a little longer though. Ever so slowly, she closed the gap, slightly surprised as Adrien met her kn thr middle. His lips moved in tandem with her own, the ever-present taste of mint flooding her senses. She felt his tongue glided against the bottom of her lips, eliciting an audible gasp. She could her his pants and gentle purring? Whatever those vibrations had been. She felt his thumb caress her cheek as he peppered her neck with butterfly kisses. She had been looking to return the favour when the door sprang open, Nino standing in the doorway.

  
“Dude,” he said, turning his hat with a playful gleam in his eyes. “Duuuuuude, you and Gette, huh. Making moves on her already? Are you finishing w-" Adrien had sprung forward, squishing his lips together before ushering him out.

  
“What was that for? Did I interrupt something important?” he said with an overly exaggerated wink. 

  
“ I didn’t want to make her uncomfortable. And, could you not bring up what happened outside in front of anyone?” Adrien had been speaking in hushed whispers so Marinette wouldn’t hear through the thin walls.

  
“Sorry. Man, Lila’s gonna be ecstatic. My best bud and her best friend together. It’s the perfect match.” Guilt flitted across both faces as they remembered Marinette’s longing glances. Marinette may have been cruel to Lila but even she didn’t deserve their sudden romance thrown in her face. 

  
“Dude, do me a favour and warn Mari before you get all sappy with each other. It’s not nice to be caught off guard, especially if everyone else knows.” Maybe they could hang out together again, just like before, when Mari hadn’t been so consumed by jealousy. Although, he was starting to doubt she was the one who was, with Lila’s possessive nature around Adrien. It had confused him, so much so that he walked away, scratching his head. 

  
Once Plagg had been sure Glasses 2.0 was gone, he phased through his chosen’s shirt, pointing an accusatory finger in his face.

  
“Kid, you’ve got to make a decision. You can’t just string along pigtails if your going to choose spots.” Of course, he was referring to Marinette as spots but Adrien wouldn’t understand just yet.

  
“Marinette’s cute but this is the love of my life we’re talking about. What if she likes me back? I’ll just get to know her better. Yeah. I’m not being unfaithful to Mari. I’ll test the waters and I’ll break it off with Mari. She’s one of my best friends so she’ll probably understand.”

Plagg groaned, frustrated at how gullible and clichéd Adrien could be. Was Gabriel so overbearing that Adrien had to take the advice of harem protagonists? The kid had even dedicated a page of ‘friends to lovers’ fanfics for relationship advice. Gabriel had really screwed over most chances of Adrien having healthy relationships. Adrien hadn’t even noticed when he left.

  
Tikki would be lying if she said she wasn’t slightly confused. Plagg had moved with an urgency she had never seen before.

  
“Tikki, we have a problem.”

  
“Apart from your chosen intensely craving passion fruit, what else is there?”

  
“He doesn’t know M-" bubbles cut him off. “He thinks he knows who Ladybug is”

  
“Noooo!" she gasped. It was happening again. She’d have to wipe away Marinette’s memory of the miraculous. Marinette was suited for the task perfectly, she was creative, quick on her feet and most of all kind. But she was also compromised. If Adrien was akumatised again it would put Marinette and everyone she cared about in danger. And as much as she loved Mari, she couldn’t put her in that kind of danger. Maybe she wouldn’t get as many or even any sweet treats, maybe she wouldn’t find another person so generous and genuine, maybe she would be exploited again. Who cared? Marinette was more than worth the sacrifice.

  
“Sugar Cube.”

  
“Don’t call me that.”

  
“I know what you’re thinking. Don’t worry. He thinks the new pigtails is Ladybug. Also your chosen is the guardian remember?” 

  
“Oops. I kind of forgot about that. I hope Marinette is going to be ok. I absolutely can’t wait for the reveal.”

  
Plagg internally cackled. His chosen had made his choice, leaving Marinette in the lurch. Sweet Marinette who thought they were still in love. Who gave him heavenly cheese when he wanted to see Tikki. Who went above and beyond for her family and friends, even for those who had been anything but. It was time she put herself first even if it meant hurting his kitten.

  
Marinette had been recovering from the accident for the last two months. Gina had been hospitalised and had been drifting in and out of consciousness. She had fought to stay awake to ensure she got her last words out to her. Marinette had developed a limp and had to have reconstructive surgery on both legs. Her legs had been mangled, crushed under debris.

The damage dealt to her hadn’t been fatal. 

  
Gina’s killer had never got caught. Marinette had got a good look at his face. Mayor Bourgeois. She’d reported him to the police. But they had called her a liar, attention seeker, money grabbing bitch. They’d call her a waste of space walking towards her with huge wads of cash, bribing her to keep his dirty little secret. She had tried to get to officer Roger but he’d been stationed abroad leaving her devoid of less corrupt officials. He’d killed an innocent through reckless abandon and she wouldn’t rest until he rotted in his cell. He deserved as much. It was worth the ridicule. It was worth her reputation being stunted. She’d go to hell and back for Gigi and she certainly wasn’t going to let him rest.

  
She had to depend on Chat a lot more than she’d like but he was mostly reliable during battle. Except from the mistimed puns and flirting. And he kept dropping hints about his identity but she was too intoxicated on her medication that she had missed obvious clues.

Tikki had gone to school to ‘collect her notes’ but she had found out why Adrien hadn’t visited Marinette the entire time. With her arms in casts and her noticeable limp, she couldn’t physically reach out to him but Tikki was a darling. She took care of her and she sent Adrien heartfelt notes on her behalf.   
Tikki had only taken the notes because she wanted to see Adrien’s reaction to them. Not because she wanted to see Plagg. Or that she felt bad for Marinette. Adrien hadn’t been the best boyfriend but he really was trying.

She had admired that about him but when ‘Ladybug’ came, Marinette couldn’t have been further from his thoughts. He had been sincere when he said he could fall for Marinette if Ladybug rejected his advances. Yet the moment Bridgette turned up, Marinette became trapped in the friend zone. Again.

  
To Bridgette’s credit, she shut down most of his advances with a boop on the nose. Although, she’d kissed Adrien countless times to spite the class. It fuelled Adrien’s ego as he casually flung his arm around her shoulders, glaring at anyone who would flirt with her.

In no uncertain terms, Tikki was mad. Marinette had been lying in bed feeling dejected although her eyes remained apathetic. She had been hurt when she lost Master Fu, hurt when Adrien had forgotten about her existence. But she had broken when Gina died. The brutality of her death made everything more vivid. She’d wake up in a cold sweat, screaming Gina’s name but she’d never come to her. Gina would lie still, unmoving in her casket, unaware of the turmoil Marinette was constantly in. Her fingers would twitch towards the pendant of Gina and herself. Silent sobs racked her body, tears would streak down her face, the accident replaying in her mind.

She was careful not to wake up her maman and papa already knowing they were burdened with the task of caring of her. Their eyes were bloodshot, hair greasy, faces stricken. She could hear the screaming matches bounce off the wall, forced to listen to them argue about her. Once, she had crawled downstairs, paralysed with guilt as her family slowly fell apart. She’d kick herself, taking full responsibility for the shift in the atmosphere. The bakery was barely staying afloat as it was, the Wayne’s support was paramount to its survival.

  
The funeral was expensive. Or so she heard. Marinette refused to go to the funeral, refused to see Gina- the larger than life woman- look so cold, so sickly, so formal... surrounded by people who only knew her in her dying moments. People who pretended to actually give a shit at losing one of the best people to ever live. Gina had given her a purpose; it wasn’t fair that she never got to see her accomplish her dream. Gina had given her the first piece of fabric, her first sketchbook and her first sewing machine. Gina had made her work seem worthwhile even when her own parents had thought it was a meaningless phase.

So, she wouldn’t attend even if she had to fight until her last breath. She’d privately pay her respects. Screw the shitshow of a funeral, she’d say her final goodbye in her own time.

  
The last time she’d heard from Adrien was a month ago. Granted she hadn’t been to school in that time but it still hurt. Damian practically lived in the bakery mostly sleeping on the couch. He’d bring her care packages on the days it hurt most and they would binge-watch her favourite animes, plastic memories and Assassination Classroom. She knew she would cry but it was better than the numbness that had settled in her heart. Although, most of the time, she found solace in the silence rather than suffer through the depressing chatter. 

  
Marinette had been slightly sad as she realised Adrien had chosen not to visit her. He would be plastered across magazines and news outlets with a girl who looked like her. Uncannily identical. Funnily enough Lila was replaced by a person who looked like the one she despised most. Anyways they’d usually be in close proximity with Adrien’s eyes filled with uncharacteristic longing. It hadn’t really bothered her because it was how he was with people he knew well and she loved that about him. It had hurt though when her mother would tell her she had a visitor as she’d thought it was him. It was always Lila though who’d take pleasure in threatening her. Knowing she couldn’t escape.

  
She would get the occasional thump on her balcony which used to cheer her up although with the animosity Chat now aimed at her... it had made it hard to picture his visits without his eyes glowing with contempt as he delivered his lectures. To keep her away from Ladybug. Odd, but it helped her keep her secret identity under wraps so she didn’t really pay too much attention.

  
She hadn’t realised how significant it was until she had walked into her classroom. She’d seen everyone form a protective ring around the girl she’d met a few months ago. She hadn’t even properly introduced herself because she was waiting for the hype to die down. Bridgette seemed cool when she talked to her briefly in the hallways but it wasn’t cool when she walked in to see her boyfriend making out with her with the class cheering them on.

  
Alya had looked guilty and remorseful before her she steeled her resolve. Her face offered no comfort instead looking triumphant. It had been the same with most of the class except from Rose, who looked like someone had kicked her puppy, Juleka who looked like she was one second away from maiming someone and Nathaniel who honestly was too enveloped by his latest comic idea.

  
“You had your chance and you blew it.” She mouthed before turning to cheer louder than before. Only Damian, who had taken a quick detour to registered at the office, had seen her silent tears and moved to wrap her in a hug which she fought against. He had whispered comforts, which she knew he despised, in her ears, sacrificing his own pride and ideals for her wellbeing. But at that moment, she could care less.

She hadn't seen Bridgette push Adrien away before she darted out of the door. She’d hadn't seen Nino wince and alert Adrien of her presence which made his skin crawl. He’d felt guilty for a completely different reason to Nino. Bridgette was already out of her seat at the mention of ‘Marinette’. She knew exactly where she’d be because it was where she went when she felt like the weight of the world was on her shoulders.

  
And lo and behold there she was. Her body bent over, knees tucked into her chest, frame shaking. She hadn’t even noticed Bridgette was behind her until she coughed. 

  
“If you’re not Damian go away.”

  
“I’m not but I have a feeling you’ll want me to go away then. But first ’ll give you your iced coffee with caramel and your super extra deluxe brownie?”

  
“With whipped cream and sprinkles on top?” Marinette replied lifting her head up slightly.

  
“And to top it off, a blueberry. You never liked cherries now Netta, did you?”

  
“Alyssa, I’m not getting up from my spot but come give me a hug.”

  
“You might not want me to once you see my face.”  
“I don’t care if you look like a zombie, have you seen me? Plus, I need someone I trust to talk to.”

“Ok, but don’t say that I didn’t warn you.”

“Bridgette?!” Marinette spluttered. “What did you do to Alyssa? And how do you know our secret code?”

  
“Dumbass, I’m ‘Bridgette’ and Alyssa. I’m the one who made you cry but I can explain if you’ll let me. And after if you still hate me, I’ll leave.”

  
“You have 2 minutes, get to it.”

  
“So, you know how me you and Chloé used to be the perfect trio?”

  
“Yes, but I don’t see how this is relevant, so stop wasting my time and get to it or I’m going to go.”

  
“Stop interrupting me then. Anyways, Chloé felt really bad for leaving and icing us out and bullying you so she hit me up and hired me. She remembered I wanted to be an actress and that I’d do anything for you so I’m here now. To see if you’re classmates would stay behind you when times were rough. Because she saw a repeat of what happened when she was the resident bully. She doesn’t ask for your forgiveness immediately but she wants to try again.”

By then Marinette was crying harder than before. She was crying out of guilt for her resentment towards Chloé, happiness at rekindling her relationship with Chlo, hurt at her heartbreak (although seeing Damian with a girlfriend had been her first) and disappointment at her hastiness in accusing Alyssa.

  
“Hey Lyssa? Can we forget about what just happened? I might still be hurt but I’m not about to abandon someone who was by my side when nearly everyone else wasn’t. But quick question, what happened to Lila?”

  
“I think she left.” Marinette had thought so, with the dwindling number of visits. “She said something about how she had ‘bigger fish to fry’ and how she was happy to leave her sheep. They still haven’t noticed, probably don’t care either.”

  
Marinette had dragged her away from the hidden room under the stairwell and out front, knowing perfectly well that Alya knew exactly where she’d be. And if she knew Alya, she’d be rash and charge to try and save her new best friend from the resident bully. So Marinette would have only a few minutes to tell Alyssa the news about Gina.

  
“Alyssa there’s no easy way to tell you but-"

  
“Gigi’s dead.” She saw Marinette’s slack jaw and gently pushed her mouth shut. 

  
“How’d you know?”

  
“I’m literally family. Half of your room is mine! Don’t you remember when we switched places for months and no one noticed until I cussed and Edna realised your designs were actually good compared to my sub-par ones. Damn your holy ways and your talent.” She let out a weak laugh yet was unable to hide the sheen glossing her eyes.

  
“C'mere.” Marinette whispered, patting the vacant space on her shoulder. She knew how much Alyssa hated to cry in public, so she let her fill her blouse with snot and tears.

  
“Why did she have to fucking go? She welcomed me into your family even as I attempted to steal from your bakery. She taught me tricks on how to survive. Hell she even got me out of an abusive foster relationship and look how well that worked out. I’ve been with Edna for about eight years and she’s taken me under her wing because Gina introduced me to her. She supported me when I was still a lowly ‘street rat’. I met you because of her. So, I’m sure as hell not going to let her killer get away with this. And I know it seems disrespectful but I didn’t go to her funeral. I already had the memory of her that I wanted seared into my mind. That being said I’m sorry I didn’t go. Or visit you when I found out.”

Alyssa only rambled when she was stressed or truly disturbed. And with how damp her shirt was becoming, she was most likely being influenced by one of those factors.

  
“Don’t worry about it. I went after the actual procession because I knew fake people would congregate at her funeral. Hell, the whole class was invited and whilst I’m shocked, I’m glad that Lila restrained herself from lying. Also, Ally if you came, I would probably have asked you to leave. I was in such a low place and only Damian had actually been allowed to see me.”

She smiled fondly at the mention of his name. It was a smile that Adrien had never seen as it was much brighter and wider but also goofier than what she had expected. So, no one could blame Alyssa for the teasing and jabs. The incoherent babbling and gurgling sounds had cheered her up.

  
‘Now that’s the Marinette I know.’ She thought. ‘I always hate seeing her gloomy, so it’s nice to see her in her bubblier, chipper state.’

  
“Marinette, in all seriousness, you need to dump Adrien’s ass. And get some new friends.” 

  
“What’d they do?”

  
“Everyone, except the usual suspects of Juleka, Rose, Nath, Lila and Chloé, turned up at Adrien’s mansion to play truth or dare. Basically, Alya dared Adrien to kiss me, dared him to send the pic to all his female contacts. Although judging by your blank face you didn’t get it.”

  
“I did not. But by all means continue.” She said grinding her teeth.

  
“Also every round, he’d scoot closer to me. He kept telling me how red really was my colour and how much ‘hotter’ I was compared to you. His cologne was actually harassing my sensitive nose to the point where it was red and I was a sneezing disaster. And he had the audacity to say ‘like what you’re sniffing’. I’d literally have more fun stuffing rubbers up my nose than inhaling that shit. But anyways, that’s not even the worst part. Apparently, they believed Lila for a few months at most but were just trying to fuck with both of your heads.” 

  
“Even Kim and Nino?”

  
“ Nino hadn’t even known that was happening. And, Kim didn’t actually believe her but she threatened to ruin everyone who he loved. He was going to get his mom fired and blacklist her from all other good companies. She was cunning enough to nearly get him and Ondine kicked off the swim team before a meet, broke Alix's roller-skates. Alix actually twisted her leg really badly and she tore a ligament. Somehow, she twisted it to make it seem like Kim had done it. Alix was mad for a while but Kim found a way to prove his innocence that one time. She also hacked into the school’s joke of a security system and changed all of Max’s grades.”

  
“That’s so... so, aargh I can’t say it.”

  
“Come on Netta say it. Say it. Say it.” She chanted, becoming louder with each second.

  
“That’s so shitty!” 

  
“How’d it feel?”

  
“Validating, liberating yet fun. Plus, you need to lower your voice. We’re technically bunking class right now and I’m not trying to explain to my parents why I suddenly have detention again.”

  
“Good point. If Gina was still here, she’d give us our favourite sundae and fudge, wrap us in blankets and tell us her favourite stories if we had detention. I miss her so much. Mari, I know I haven’t called you that since the Incident, I want to redeem my free hug voucher. Please.” If Marinette had heard her voice tremble and crack she chose not to comment. And if Alyssa had felt the damp sensation on her shoulders, she didn’t comment either. They just stood there, unfeeling to the rest of the world. That is until they were ripped away from each other.

  
Adrien had never thought Marinette had been the jealous type but with the way Ladybug had been bawling out her eyes confirmed that she in fact was. And that was enough to end their relationship. In private of course. He had to save his lady first.

  
“Babe, Marinette didn’t hurt you, did she? I never thought she’d try this.” He examined her thoroughly whilst directing a glare at Marinette. Although, her glare had been returned with more passion, fervour and contempt which honestly made him cower. “How are you unscathed? Oh well, it’s nice that she didn’t stoop that low.”

  
He hadn’t expected jealousy to hit him as some guy who’d been in their class for months to wrap his arm around Marinette’s shoulders. 

  
‘Why did she allow him to do it so casually? She’s in a relationship. With me!’

  
“Hon, are you sure you’re ok?” A raised eyebrow and a nod were the replies he need before he stalked towards Marinette. “Who the hell are you!” He screamed, drawing the class' attention to them. He heard Alya snicker before saying

  
“She’s just trying to make you jealous with some poor guy. With her big crush on you. But she missed shot because she was to shy and stubborn to accept my or Lila’s help.” Marinette had been left gawking at the betrayal with her ex-best friend, who readily leaked her crush to Adrien. Of course, he already knew some of it, but Alya hadn’t known which made the situation worse.

  
“Yeah, but who is he?”

  
“Probably some assistant at the bakery. Or someone Marinette hired. She was always into those big convoluted schemes so it wouldn’t surprise me.” Everyone giggled at Alya’s revelation, with a few people chiming in to confirm. Everyone was too busy laughing at Marinette’s past behaviour which meant that they forgot about Alyssa.

  
“Uh, Marinette didn’t hire anyone. I’d know because she’s my best friend.”

  
“Hey Bridgette, you don’t have to defend the bully. It’s fine to say the truth.” Cried a voice from the crowd.

  
“I am telling the truth. If you'd let me finish that is.” They nodded together in harmony which was honestly creepy. “Anyways, someone else hired me to test your loyalty. The only loyalty you have is to your meal ticket. Newsflash I’m not Ladybug, you guys are terrible and you suck. And Adrien good luck, you had the best chance and you ruined it. Let’s not meet again.” 

  
And with that she booked it out of the school into the waiting Mercedes. The mob could have caught her but they were stunned with shock. Alya was the first to break out of her stupor. She stormed up to the retreating forms of Marinette and Damian, who intentionally dropped his ID. He knew she would squeal and run over to the rest of the class.

He didn’t anticipate that they’d crowd around them at the back. Marinette had snuggled into his shoulder, incredibly tired from the ordeal downstairs. She was also crying but he did his best to stop them flowing. They were so in sync that he understood what she was trying to communicate without speaking.

  
‘Damian help, don’t leave me.’

  
‘I won’t angel, I’m here now and forever.’ For good measure, he snaked his arm protectively around her. The class would start speaking and he had a feeling that they were going to be persistent bothers. 

  
“Marinette, why didn’t you tell me you knew Damian Wayne. Are you dating? Girl, as besties, you’ve got to give me the scoop.” Her demand led to the rest of the class begging for something.

  
“With Damian’s status, Kitty Section will be set. You have to get him to help" 

  
“Damian, you have to help my father get promoted.”

  
“Marinette you can help sew the costumes for the play and Damian you're the star man.” Begged Mylene

  
“Could you guys maybe-"

  
“Enough,” roared Damian. “Do this. Do that. I haven’t heard a single apology from you except from Juleka, Rose, Nino, Max and Kim. They know they’ve done something wrong and haven’t even tried to weasel something out of Marinette. You fools have. Or are you going to act like nothing happened?” Their eyes widened and most of them scrambled to apologise. Alya became enraged as his words washed over her.

  
“Butt out of it Wayne. You may think you understand Mari, my bestie, but you don’t. Not the way we do. So why don’t you leave this to us.”

  
“’Bestie'? So ‘besties’ leave each other in their time of need. ‘Besties' think it’s funny to leave someone isolated for a joke. ‘Besties’ dump their duties on each other and don’t take no for an answer. Last time I checked we weren’t even friends. You said so yourself. But I guess you never checked and came back to me because I’m your new meal ticket. You realise that friendships are built on trust, right?”

  
“Yes of course they are.”

  
“Well, thanks for showing me how little you have in me.” She finished her speech, shaking, the bags under her eyes more evident than ever against her skin. 

  
“You can’t seriously mean that. Was it you? Were you the one who did this to us?” She screamed, grabbing Damian’s tie. “Answer me! You were, weren’t you? Well I hope you’re happy with yourself.”

  
“Alya, before you go round accusing people you might want to get proof first. Damian is the reason that I’m still here. When I didn’t sleep, he would stay up with me until I fell asleep. Even if it meant he was tired at school. If I tried to do too much, he’d limit me, making sure I wouldn’t overwork myself. He stopped me before I could go too far. Hell, he jetted over here for what? Five months and hasn’t seen his family physically in three. Because he chose to be with me. That’s more than I can say about you."

  
“And another thing, I was the one who wanted to end our relationship. It’s not healthy to fight every single time and only speak if you need something. Maybe we can try again later but please respect my wishes and leave me alone.” Damian had pride written on his face at her confidence but directed a look if disdain at the class. And with that, they left, retreating home for a much-needed mental health day. Alya had felt her knees buckle, ran her fingers through her hair with a crazed look upon her face. She was going to find a way to get Marinette back and soon.

  
Bonus:  
The day after, Marinette had arrived at the Agreste's abode. She had been wearing a soft scarlet top with spaghetti straps. On top she had a leather jacket with neon green highlights. She wore red shorts that faded into black and black boots with tints of yellow. Her hair was up in two mini buns with yellow ribbon securing them in place. She had been buzzed in and was about to knock when she felt herself being yanked in by Adrien.

  
In front of her was candles, rose petals and a picnic basket full of his chef’s creations. Adrien had darted upstairs and returned with two black boxes and a teddy bear with ‘I wuv you’ emblazoned on its chest.

  
“Sit, sit.” He said taking a rose a placing it in her hand. “You look really good. Red and black really are your colours.” There it was again. A completely ‘subtle’ attempt to compare her with Ladybug. He was practically drooling and she’d only been there for about five minutes. “Marinette, I’m really sorry about yesterday. I was just joking when I was talking to that girl. She meant nothing to me even though she was an amazing kisser. So, would you like to go on a date tomorrow?”

  
“Amazing kisser? I would have let that slide if you hadn’t followed it up with asking me on a date. Who do you think you are? And you seemed really in love with her just yesterday. So, sweetheart, I’m going to have to pass.”

  
“Why? I bought you all of these expensive gifts. I know you’ll love them if you would just look at them. Just give me one more chance.”

  
“You know, I’ve always believed in second chances. But the fact that I was absent for 3 months, hear nothing from you, find out you’ve been flirting, kissing and cuddling, undermined our relationship saying I was ‘just a friend’ so you could date my best friend Alyssa. Not cool. You’re second chance would have been telling me the truth or at least an apology.”

  
“I’m sorry.”

  
“No you’re not. Not really. You made your choice and it wasn’t me. Don’t come crawling back to me now that you know you were wrong. And if you thought you could win me over with your money, then I guess you never really knew me.” She rose, grabbing her purse and leaving an invitation to her reveal at the door. “Bye Adrien, enjoy your feast. Maybe in another life we could have stayed together but I guess we weren’t right for each other.” She turned on her heel and left, not once looking back.

  
Tikki was left silently cackling in her bag. 

  
She couldn’t wait for the reveal.


	2. Revelation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You might end up hating the word 'so' after this.  
> Also, I know it's been a month and I'm sorry but I've been doing this in my free time, when I'm not at school.
> 
> The conversation in Spanish might not be completely accurate, although it's been checked, but the basic meaning of the conversation is that  
> Alyssa can't really speak Spanish well and is kind of forced to until Marinette tells the class she can speak French and English.
> 
> OH before I forget, Mrs Bustier is out on maternity leave.

Marinette was freaking out. She wasn’t ready for the reveal. Not after Gabriel publicly denounced her designs. And the class’ persistence at pestering her for forgiveness began to grate on her nerves. The only thing that helped her was her true friends support and her _probably maybe possibly not_ boyfriend Damian. She had no idea where they stood and just assumed that he didn’t like labels or just plain liked her as _‘just a friend’._ That phrase still gave her chills when she thought about it. 

Speaking about Adrien, he was more subdued but would still give her surprise hugs or put lavish gifts in her locker. He’d adorn her table with roses and leave secret admirer letters. Did no one teach this dude how to chill? Now all the girls were peppering her with questions. Some girls that she didn’t even like.

“You two are so romantic.”

“That’s not romantic. That’s overbearing.”

“Speak up Juleka!”

“I said that’s not romantic!”

“God, no need to shout bitch!”

“Don’t call her that, Alya, she hates the word. And I agree with Jules, they used to have chemistry but I’m second guessing it now. But Damian and Marinette... that’s romantic.”

“They’re like a fairy tale couple.”

“Dude, we’re going to support her. No matter what she chooses. Right, Alya?”

“Hmm, Adrienette for life. Hashtag kissy face. Hashtag in love 4eva. And _post_. So, what were you guys saying?”

“That we'll support Marinette’s decision.” Chimed Rose.

“As long as it’s not Damian or Luka. They aren’t good enough for my girl.” Immediately there was uproar at her statement.

“You think you know who is good enough for me?”

“Hey, Alya, why don’t you say it with your chest?”

“Talk about my brother like that **again** and I’ll introduce my bass to your face.”

“There’s no need to get so pressed, we can all agree that my girl deserves better than some wannabe rock star. Or that reclusive, nosy Daddy’s boy. He's probably just using her.”

“And we can agree that Nino dumped your ass for good reason, you wannabe tabloid reporter.” ‘Oohs’ and ‘Aahs' filled the room at Rose’s burn. Alix had even gone as far as to press ice against Alya’s forehead.

“Might want some ice for that.” She whispered relishing the hue that spread across Alya’s cheeks.

“Well. Well at least I have confidence in myself. I’d rather have that and be single than be in a relationship with no self-esteem.”

“Ugh, fuck this shit I’m out.” Whispered Juleka.

“Me too, I’m actually not bothered.”

“Imma go now, catch ya later.” Said Alix before muttering “I’d rather not see you though Alya.”

“I’d love to stay but Jule seems really tense. “

“No shit, Sherlock.”

“Leave her alone Alya.”

  
“ _Anyways_ ,” continued Rose “I’ll text you later Mari. Stay safe and peace out girl scout.” Marinette had seen the silent fury radiate from Alya and was about to take her leave when she felt Alya drag her away.

“Girl, are you dating Adrien? You seem way more confident and you two are being extra handsy. You know you can tell your bestie anything right.” Not again with the whole ‘bestie' bullshit. Alya had tried over and over again to try and force their old routine back onto her. She’d bring Ella and Etta with her and dump them at the bakery, push Marinette and Adrien into abandoned rooms, drag her to akuma attacks and still ask for favours.

It honestly annoyed her and made her freak out too. It didn’t help as Alya was in an extremely sour mood already. She had been pacing up and down in Marinette’s bedroom, which she invited **herself** into, before turning towards Marinette. She had the look in her eye where she thought she was owed something from you and Marinette had a feeling she knew exactly what it was.

“Marinette, why does Rose have your new number but I don’t?” That was it. She fucking called it. “ I mean, surely I’m more important to you than that _ditzy_ blonde. After all, we’re friends forever. And what was up with the girls today? I’m sure if Mylene was there, she’d back me up but you guys were all _bitches_ today.”

“And why do you think that was?”

“Because I told the truth?”

  
“Because you’re being a completely ignorant and oblivious fool who is driving a wedge between whatever **this** is.” She gestured between the two of them. “I told you I needed space and you couldn’t even listen to my one request. Alix listened and apologised. So have Rose and Juleka. Even Chloé has. And they didn’t even actively do anything to me. You haven’t said sorry even though you played one of the biggest roles in breaking me down.”

“I’m sor-"

“No, you _will_ have the decency to let me finish. You don’t take no for an answer. Even when I was trying to get over Adrien after the whole ‘Bridgette’ debacle, you forced me into a room with him for hours. A day after the whole _fucking_ thing. What told you that it would be a good idea to send a person that has just got out of a relationship alone with someone who loved them? Especially if that person’s girlfriend looked exactly like me! What did you expect? That we'd be _**making out** _once you unlocked the doors?”

“I-you looked like you still wanted him to be yours. So that you'd finally win against Kagami and Chloé.”

“Adrien is not a prize to be won. And does this face show any sign of longing? Of want? No. It shows loneliness, the face of a girl who fought to finally be something in anybody’s eyes. But most of all, it shows emptiness reflecting the hollowed chambers of my heart. Now get out of my house, and this time don’t contact me until I’m ready. I don’t want nor do I need your damn apology. And next time think about what others want, not just what will get you more likes on your blog.” 

She slammed the door shut before reaching for her phone to check out what she had missed.

2 missed calls from Rose, she’d been added to a new group chat, been spammed with 187 new messages, had a missed call from Edna, had 5 missed calls from Adrien and an incoming video call with Damian.

Oh. **Oh!** Damian was calling her! And she had just _yeeted_ her phone across the room. In one successive leap, she grabbed her phone, spruced up her hair and ate the blanket on her bed before face planting into the carpet. Apart from her pride, ego and her nose, she escaped relatively undamaged and had taken the time to admire her denim jacket. Before the shrill ringing of her phone caused her to squawk and frantically press ‘accept'.

‘ _Act natural. Act natural. Act natural.’_

“Hey Damian this is Marinette speaking obviously, this is her- I mean my- phone. You already knew that so I’m going to stop talking now.”

“Angel, are you alright?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Because you’re doing that thing were you laugh after each word. And you only do that when you’re nervous or hiding something.”

“Damian, darling,” _Too posh_. “Dames, my honey bun.” _Too fake._ “Dude.” _Too casual_. “Damian, Edna wants to talk to me and I’m freaking out.” That’s all she ever seemed to do. Just freak out. To the side of her, she saw Tikki knock down a photo of her kissing Damian’s rouge cheeks with a neon pink heart framing it. Tikki was the absolute best, saving her from a lifetime of embarrassment. It had caused a loud thud which Damian immediately questioned.

  
“What was that?”

“Uhhh, my hat that I was using as a cookie bowl just toppled over.”

_‘Please buy it. Please buy it. Pleaseee. Buy. It_ ’

“Sure,” he said elongating the ‘e'. “So, what were you saying about Edna?”

_‘He bought it! Shit, I wasn’t listening.’_

“I was saying that I am freaking out. Yeah, I’m freaking out. I haven’t read her message yet so I’m scared that something bad is going to happen.” 

_‘Tikki is in for a real treat tonight. She totally saved my behind.'_

“Angel,” his eyes were soft and had an ethereal glow. He hit her with the softest expression she’d seen, turning her into a puddle of goo. “If anything happens you have Todd on speed dial and I’ll already be on my way if you just say, okay?”

“But trust me it won’t be anything bad. I’ve got to go bell'angelo. Family game night. Bye Mari.”

“Bye, Dami.” She blew a quick kiss in a moment of boldness before ending the call. She’d need that boldness if she wanted to speak to Edna. She hated it when people didn’t respond immediately so Marinette was already on strike 1.

Strike 2 came when she had forgotten the customary kisses that Edna loved. She usually kept it for after small talk but instead she did it immediately today. She had been angry, to say the least, when Marinette left her hanging.

Strike 3 hadn’t come yet and she was so relieved. She’d be out otherwise. Even if Edna was her godmother. Which was why she was on her best behaviour as of now.

“Dahling, I have two things I need to tell you. One, Alyssa is staying at your house for the next two days. You’ll need to find some way to smuggle her into school without getting her into trouble. Two, why didn’t you tell me you were having a reveal party? I would have invited every famous person I knew.”

“That’s exactly the point. I want important people I love and a few I want to spite to be there. Plus, there are already a hundred people coming and it’s being broadcast worldwide. Who else needs to be there?”

“Famous people, Netta, **famous people**. But you’re right. Make my baby comfortable when she gets here. _Good~byeeeee_.” She didn’t even give Marinette the time to respond before she jumped off the call. Well, at least she hadn’t given her a hard time over her laziness and inactivity yet Marinette feeling that she would when she was more stable.

Just when Marinette thought she’d be able to catch a break, three sharp raps came on the window. She could not be bothered to deal with Chat so she lay flat on the ground, wiggling towards the stairs that led downstairs. She knew that he knew how to open the hatch without her help, so she’d have to pretend that she was gone.

“Princesssss,” he hissed, voice ominously low. “I’m coming in. Make sure you’re purrfectly decent.” With that she moved with more urgency and with an ‘ah ha' shifted the barrier between her room and the comfort of the living room. But it was too late. He’d already landed in her room and she hear his light footsteps moving towards her. She was so close to escaping when she felt him hoist her into his arms bridal style and shut her only escape route off. 

“Princess, if I didn’t know better, I’d have thought that you were running away from me.”

‘ _I was you damn piece of shit. I was trying to get away from you. Gosh, learn how to read the room.’_

“Why are you here Chat?”

“Is that anyway to treat your guest?”

“Yes, considering the fact that you screamed at me last time for God knows what. And the fact that you accused me for assisting an emotionally manipulative dickhead. Because you listened to a pathological liar.”

“It made sense though. I’m sorry, I guess, but it all added up. And you seemed really panicky around M'lady and I.”

“You know I was a temporary holder. Hell, you saw me drop my transformation. I was panicky because you both knew who I was and I didn’t want to take any risks of being akumatised. Does _that_ add up?”

“Yes, but how was I supposed to know? I thought I was doing my duty and protecting Paris.”

“You find out by _**asking**_ me. You don’t just jump to conclusions because they could end up harming people. If I’d gotten akumatised, hand on heart, would you have tried to save me? Or would you have tried to expose me?”

“Expose you,” he whispered downtrodden. “But it would have been for Paris. And for Ladybug. I know I haven’t been the best.”

“That’s putting it mildly.” She muttered.

“But I’m trying to make it up to her. And then she’ll see that we’re perfect together.” Just when Marinette thought he was making progress; he went back to the same stupid point.

That Alya had created. 

“Chat, if you have nothing to say, please go. I’m giving you an option to leave peacefully to honour our past friendship.” She wouldn’t admit it her home screen was a picture of them pulling silly faces. Chat had his tongue out and had given her bunny ears whilst she flashed a peace sign at the camera with an over exaggerated wink. She’d kept it as a memento of their time as best friends. Edna had told her to get rid of it because ‘it distracted from the now’ but her selfish heart couldn’t. 

“Marinette, Adrien wanted me to ask if you would accompany him to the reveal of M.N.W.”

“I already have a ticket.”

“Princess, there is no need to lie to me. I mean the event is for prestigious people only or established designers. Don’t get me wrong princess your designs are fabulous but you’re not quite at that level.”

“ _Get out_.”

“For telling the truth? That’s harsh, Marinette. Adrien’s giving you a golden opportunity. You don’t want to miss out because you were trying to save face.”

“Out _ **. Now.**_ ”

“Your loss Mari. See you around.” In the blink of an eye he was gone, leaving Marinette emotionally and physically drained. She had been slumped over her desk; eyes empty as the conversation replayed in her mind. Drifting in and out of consciousness, she felt her eyelids grow heavy and her eyes snapped shut. She staggered over to her bed, feeling her head hit her soft soft pillow and her legs entangled in her flimsy blanket when Sabine yelled. Involuntarily, she jerked awake, sighing at how hectic her day had already been when she saw her mom peek into her room.

“Marinette, you have a special guest.” She sang, gently pulling her downstairs before dumping her on the couch. She waited, praying it was Alyssa, Damian and his family or Chloé. It couldn’t be Kagami or Luka as they were both outside of the country for personal reasons so that ruled them out. If it was anyone else, she would scream. Marinette saw the face of her guest, grabbed her pillow and screamed.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, jutting her finger at his chest.

“Chat told me that you said no to my offer. But that can’t be right _Pr-_ Mari.” If Marinette heard the slip up, which she did, she didn’t mention it.

“That is correct, **Agreste**. I said no and he belittled my work, my dream.”

“Don’t call me Agreste, I’m not my father. And maybe if you hadn’t lied to him, he wouldn’t have said that. You didn’t need to try and save face.” Marinette froze, his words replaying in her mind. They were the exact same as Chat's earlier.

“What did you just say?”

“That you didn’t need to try and save face?” All the dots connected, the silver ring he got at the same time as her partner’s appearance. The sudden disappearances during attacks. Even the actions were the same. Adrien would pun and flirt, becoming boisterous around his close ‘friends’. Chat would become shy or calm at some moments of their partnership. Their actions were inexplicable to her. Until now.

Because it all made sense.

“Adrien, why did you want to go out with me?”

“Do you want the honest answer?”

“Please.”

“At first it was because I thought you were Ladybug.” At that he looked ashamed, guilty even. “But then you stopped being so lovesick and you were suddenly really cool. Don’t get me wrong, you’re cute, funny, sharp and witty but My Lady holds my heart.” If she hadn’t already figured it out, those last words made everything click.

“Wait, you knew about my crush on you?”

“ _That's_ what you're focusing on? Well, you weren't exactly subtle. Who am I kidding? Duh, it was obvious. I’m not that stupid. I just didn’t want to damage out friendship.”

“Well look what happened anyways. Goodbye Adrien.”

“But I didn’t even get to give you a ticket.”

“ _Goodbye, Adrien”_ She stated, tone venomous. Once he made no motion to move, she led him downstairs and outside. Strangely enough, she couldn’t see his bodyguard or his car. Funnily enough, she didn’t care knowing that he had most likely transformed into Chat to get here.

Obviously, he couldn’t transform now, as the streets were busy and he couldn’t wait in the bakery because damn they were closed. An unusual occurrence but they’d be back open once Adrien was gone. At least he was bringing the bakery more publicity with his visit. Nice to know that he wasn’t entirely useless.

She trudged back upstairs, flipping the sign back over to say ‘open' before her head hit her pillow. She found herself drifting to sleep (FINALLY!!) the screams of the mob fading into the background. She could hear a faint pounding noise downstairs as well but ignored it, favouring her health more. 

When she awoke an hour later, her back felt sore and her eyes couldn’t adjust to the dark. She could smell pizza and could feel something shaking above her. Eyes bleary, she reached around, hoping to find her phone when she felt an irregularly shaped object. It was soft to the touch yet had sharp edges and made her bolt upright.

Unfortunately, her head bashed against a firm surface and for a moment there she was seeing stars. A very quiet giggle emerged from above, convincing Marinette that she had died and gone to heaven. That is until something yanked her leg out from that small space and she became blinded by the light.

“Oh angel,” she cried. “I don’t know how I died and got here. Please, show me how.”

“Marinette.”

“So, you know my name. Angel, you sound very familiar.”

“That’s because you know me. Marinette. You’re not dead. You were just under your bed.”

“So, I’m in the afterlife? Under my bed? Is there some type of portal?”

“Marinette, open your fucking ears. You’re not dead. I have your phone and I’m sure Damian would love to know how much you love playing with the ends of his hair. Or how much you love his cologne.” Marinette was up quite quickly after that. She tried to yank her phone out of Alyssa's hand but she had the height advantage. Alyssa towered over her so the only way to get her phone back was to play dirty. And use Lyssa's weakness against her. Tickling would work temporarily before she’d fight back but mentioning her crush... Granted, it was pretty awful to do, but you don’t get a win unless you play in the game. So, awful it was.

“Alyssa,” she whined. She would give her one more chance to give up her phone peacefully before she declared war. “Give. It. Back.”

“No way. Finders keepers, _loserberry_.” With a playful wink, she stuck out her tongue before dangling Marinette’s phone in front of her face. 

“Fine, girl scout. But I wonder what Jon would say if I told him about how you love his baby blue eyes and how cute you think he is with glasses. Or how much you want him to tutor you because he’s incredibly hot when he’s serious.”

_Alyssa.exe. has stopped working._

She saw the terrified look on her best friends face before her system rebooted. Alyssa bit her nails after dumping Mari's phone on the bed. By the pure mortification on Marinette’s face, it was pretty clear that she had read the message.

“You called him _**PRETTY BOY**_?”

“In my defence, he is. But I didn’t mean to send it. You made me freak out and hit send.”

“Only so I could get my phone back.”

“This is a _disaster, a complete disaster._ He’s already read the message, no doubt, probably thinks I’m weird and I’ll get arrested for being a complete creep. I have to steal his phone so he has no evidence.”

“You’ve got to stop jacking people’s phones. Before you actually get thrown into jail.”  
  
‘Oh I said that out loud. I’m too slick to get thrown in jail. I can’t let him find any solid evidence. He’ll never was anything to do with me and I’ll be thrown in a cell for irritating the aristocrats.'

“Hey Netta, I’m sorry. It’s completely my fault. I should never have typed that message up or sent it.”

“At least you can actually apologise sincerely. Dude,” she sighed, rubbing her fingers against her temple. “Don’t sweat it. What’s done is done and I’m sorry for being a dick to you. I used your crush against you when I knew you’d freak out.”

“Hugs?”

“Hugs.” Unspoken apologies rung sincerely, emerging through the deep bond they shared. They were more than content to sit in comfortable silence until Alyssa’s voice cut through.

“Mari, you’re totally going to thank me when you have grandkids.” A ruby hue slathered itself across Marinette’s cheeks. She turned her face away, using the coldness of her hands to soothe the heat radiating from her. 

“Alyssa.” She whined.

“What? It’s funny. Obviously not to you. Marinette! Don’t you dare try it. D-Don’t you dare, Mari. Marinette!” she squealed, exploding into fits of giggles.

Marinette tickled her, not showing any sign of relenting until she felt a pillow hit her face. Marinette was knocked off balance, giving Alyssa enough time to yank herself out of Marinette’s hold and arm herself with pillows. She even had one in her mouth which obviously muffled anything she said.

“Mm govna wut you.” Her words were a series of incomprehensible garble which Marinette simply raised an eyebrow to. Sensing her judgement, she spat the pillow out before repeating her sentence, her voice a notch higher.

“I’m going to whoop you. “

“Just like you destroyed Jon in Mario kart, huh?”

“It was his fault. He made it feel like he was going to win. And you know how competitive I am.”

“I do but you still couldn’t beat me.”

“Of course not. Not when he had his arm around my waist and was whispering in my ear. I was fighting a losing battle.”

“Of course you were.” Huffed Marinette, rolling her eyes.

“I’ll take you on right now and you’ll lose. I can guarantee that.” And so, a bitter battle begun. Pillow fight casually abandoned, they jumped onto their respective controllers. Alyssa had fought tooth and nail to ensure her victory. Although, it wasn’t much of a victory, seeing as she lost 14 matches out of 15. She’d only won the last match by stupid luck. Marinette’s controller broke and she kept crashing into obstacles so... it was quite inevitable that she lost. She didn’t let that bother her though, flaunting her wins as Alyssa prepared to gloat.

“See Netta, I’m always right. Just like I’m going to be right about you and Damian.”

“What was that Lyssa?”

“Nothing but also _something_?”

“it’s about me and Damian. I heard the last bit. Are you betting on our relationship?”

_Cue awkward laughter_

“So, you’re dating?”

‘ _Marinette just earned me fifty dollars. Suck it up Jason.’_

“No, at least I don’t think we are. I’m happy even if I’m just a friend to him. And don’t change the subject. Are you betting on us?”

‘ _Damn you and your emotionally constipated mannerisms Wayne.’_

“Of course not. I just thought you would be really good together.” The lengthy pause had Marinette sceptical.

“Oh my God. Wow. You don’t say?” Marinette could feel the sarcasm roll of her tongue but in her state, she couldn’t recognise it.

“Girl, you seriously would. That being said, when can I expect an invite to your wedding?”

“Alyssa!”

“Sorry,” Marinette sent her a glare which softened as she noticed the remorse on her face.

“It’s fine.”

“You didn’t disagree. You are going to get married to him.”

“I’m leaving you to face the class alone.”

“No. I’m sorry. Marinette.” She whimpered, directing her puppy dog eyes at Marinette.

“Fine. But go to sleep.”

“Yes ma’am!”

“Night Ally.”

“Night Netta.”

Marinette was convinced that the class were incredibly forgetful, wilfully ignorant or just plain stupid. There was no in-between. How they had failed to acknowledge that this was the same girl who had them fooled baffled her. She hadn’t even come up with a convincing lie, only that she was her long-lost cousin, that she had a thick accent and she usually spoke Spanish.

Though, obviously that last one was a lie and Alyssa now had a whole new alias, Sherry Dupain, and now had a reason for not speaking French. A language she knew fluently. And had to speak Spanish. A language she hadn’t spoken in years. 

“¿Marinette, qué diablos?"

“No tengo la culpa. Intenté de hacer todo lo posible para evitar una situación así.”

“Pues, hiciste un trabajo estupendo.”

“Gracias,”

“¡Eso fue sarcástico! Sé que son todos terribles pero no son tontos. No hablo bien español.”

“Relájese. Creen que somos inteligente.”

“¿En serio?”

“Es verdad.”

“Sin embargo, les diré que hablas francés y ingles.”

“Sherry does speak French and English guys.”

“Okay, Marinette.”

“¡Gracias, Netta!”

“De Nada, Sherry.”

Marinette had been extremely lucky that no one had bothered to interrupt or listen to their conversation. Who knows what would have happened if they did? The class were rabid when they wanted to be so ‘Sherry' would have been in some deep shit if they found out who she was. 

  
Fortunately, most of the class stayed away except from Mylene, who begged Marinette to help her with costumes for Drama club and tried to get ‘Sherry’ to join as the lead. Because who wouldn’t want a multilingual, pretty foreign exchange student (so that was the lie they were going with, huh?) as the star of the show. Never mind that it was originally meant to be Marinette but she was cast out. **Again**. What was she? _Chopped liver?_ Well, at least Mylene wasn’t too bad to her.

Adrien had been worse, leaning against her locker and would become frustrated when he was ignored. He’d have his elbows on her desk, cheeks buried in his palms as he sighed lovingly. All while maintaining eye contact.

Their substitute had tried to get the class to settle down but drinking 5 and a half cups, and dammit if he didn’t finish the last half, of coffee on a hangover was never the brightest idea. He had a splitting headache and at one point lost his shit from trying to calm the masses down. At this point, he had his thinning hair in his hands, gripping the strands that were loose from his brown bun. He was most likely re-evaluating his life choices whilst silent tears snuck down his face.

Marinette sympathised with him. _Really, she did._ But that didn’t solve her predicament. Adrien had perched himself on the edge of her desk, his position reminiscent of his Chat side.

‘ _Tsk,‘_ she thought. _‘Your Chat is showing, Agreste.’_ It was as if he read her mind because he scooted closer, rubbing his head against her shoulder. She had become mildly concerned when she heard a deep rumbling before realising he was purring.

It was on a whole new level of weird, one that she wasn’t ready to deal with, instead choosing to walk calmly- who was she kidding, she was sprinting- across the hallways. She hadn’t stuck around to see the aftermath. Although from the photos of Adrien’s nose smushed on the glass door and the video of him falling on his ass before leaping 10 feet into the air, she’d say the aftermath was pretty damn hilarious. Still, Adrien wasn’t the worst.

Alya had been a persistent thorn in her side. She should probably unveil their whole plot accidentally because of how relentless she was .She was nipping at ‘Sherry’s' heels because someone, Adrien, let it be known that Edna had put a protective wing around her, recognising her from events his father made him attend. Alya wasn’t a fashion blog, obviously, but her attempts at entertaining Lila had caused her blog to fall in popularity. The scoop would help her regain credibility and maybe help Marinette in the fashion world. She could name drop her in the interview and help her get her fashion career up and running. She could even compile a mini portfolio for Marinette. After all, that’s was what _besties_ did.

Marinette would be sure to forgive her, right? Because she was doing her a favour and was asking for nothing more than forgiveness. A small price to pay in comparison to an internship with the greatest fashion designer. Alya may not have known much about designing but even she could say her designs were epic.

It was a match made in heaven, honestly. The budding designer whose work needed a little refinement and would ultimately need harsh treatment to progress. The queen of fashion, cold, harsh and professional. She could mould Marinette into the perfect designer within months of training under her wing. 

Now if only Marinette would let her interview the newbie. Alya and her would get on like a house on fire if Marinette decided to stop being so possessive.

“Jeez, Mari do you not want Sherry to make any friends?” The class, save a few, murmured in agreement. “She can speak fluently in French and we all understand her. So, you don’t need to mother hen her, you could actually share her with us.” ‘Sherry’ eyed Marinette, mouthing 

  
_‘I have this one covered.’_

Marinette gave a simple nod before moving to the front of the class to comfort their teacher. He was honestly an amazing teacher if the detailed lesson plan and assignments were anything to go by. Obviously, he was a little shy and needed more authority but he worked tirelessly to make a fun lesson for them. When he could have done what every other supply teacher did and make them fill out worksheets in silence. She had to get the class under control somehow. Right after whatever was happening at the back of the classroom was dealt with. She climbed the stairs quickly to calm everyone down but there was just an intense staring contest going.

“Ah, just the person we were waiting for.” Announced Alya not breaking eye contact with Sherry.

“You win Alya. And to answer your question from before, it’s not like she doesn’t want me to make friends, it’s more like I don’t want to be friends with people who bullied my cousin. I’ve heard good things about some in this class but only Rose, Juleka, Nino, Kim, Nathaniel and Chloé.”

“Wow Marinette. You’re really going to l-" she gasped cutting herself off before she could say more. But her words had already done their damage.

“I’m going to what? _Lie?_ Like Lila? Like you? Don’t get it _twisted_ Alya, you’re the liar here. And I hate liars.”

“I didn’t mean it Marinette. I was just frustrated about you not saying anything good about me, your best friend but you said something nice about Bourgeois.”

“It’s not Bourgeois anymore.” Chloé whispered, tears filling her eyes. Marinette had noted how subdued Chloé had been for the majority of last week. Doubt filled her eyes, before she moved to comfort her. She hesitated before Chloé nodded to which Marinette wrapped her in a bear hug.

“Thank you,” Chloé muttered.

“No problem. My house is always open if you want to escape. Trio or not, we can still be friends and I’m sure Alyssa misses you.” Chloé looked stunned, gaping at her words before tightly squeezing Marinette. Her next words made Marinette freeze.

“I don’t know how much longer I’ll be here. The divorce is being finalised. Mommy gets full custody of me now.” They’d been fighting for the last decade over custody for Chloé, with Audrey losing the battle at first. The media had kept pestering her which was why she had had to keep her distance away from Chloé at the Agreste’s fashion show. The media would erupt once more with the scandal of her breaking the agreement, disrupting all the progress that her legal team had made.

“I’m so glad, Chlo. If it makes you happy, go. But I’m not letting you go without us keeping in contact.”

“Sure, Nettie.” With that, Chloé stood up and left, minutes before lunch, her heartbreak clear on her face with no makeup to cover her puffy eyes. She heard the class snicker at her but they were no longer her concern.

“You want to be friends with a **bully**? You’re kidding, right? We’re way better friends.”

“I’d take being friends with Chloé any day. You aren’t friends like I’ve said. You’re **_sheep_**. Now if you don’t want Mrs Mendeleiv in here, you better start doing the work.” The supply perked up at the mention of work before bowing in gratitude to Marinette.

“Ahem. Class, my name is-"

“We don’t _care_. Just give us the work.”

“Well, we are minutes away from lunch as you wasted these last two classes talking. When you come back, you’ve got physics.” There was a collective groan from the class but Marinette knew better. They’d be cheering soon after they saw the project they’d be doing.

“Guys, you’ll need to be in pairs.” Yelled Marinette, sending a thumbs up at the teacher. They probably hadn’t even heard her as the race to get to the best cafeteria table began. 

“Are they always this _rude_?”

“Yes, they’re also hostile to teachers who they don’t know, Mr?”

“Iruka.”

“Well, Mr Iruka, I’ll see you after lunch. Good luck and enjoy your well-earned break.”

“Thanks, Marinette.” She reminded him of his former student. He wondered if she liked ramen too.

Lunch had been an ordinary affair. Although, more people had come up to their table to try and bag Alyssa’s number. Halfway through, they went back to the class to keep their teacher company and help set up their experiment. It counted for 30% of their grade according to him which meant that if they failed, the chances of getting an ‘A' would be exceedingly low.

The pairs were: Alya and Nino, Kim and Alix, Chloé and Nathaniel, Rose and Juleka, Marinette and Alyssa, Mylene and Ivan, Sabrina and Max. Adrien had tried to join Marinette’s team but was pushed in the direction of Alya and Nino. Poor Nino hadn’t wanted to be in either team and said as much. Ultimately, he was grouped with Kim and Alix, a great combo.

Now that the teams were sorted, here came the experiment. They had an hour to make something that would protect the egg that they dropped from over the banister. They had three eggs per team and had to make sure at least one landed with no cracks. Marinette had created the mini parachute that unfolded after 5 seconds, the time where the egg would start dropping too quickly, as calculated by ‘Sherry'. Sher had created the wooden basket that turned into a cocoon after the parachute opened, ensuring that the egg was secure. 

And secure it was. They’d been the only team to get all of their eggs to land without cracking. Only 3 other teams managed to get the egg down safely once. Chloé and Nathaniel were unexpected but they had surprisingly good _chemistry_ together. Rose and Juleka had also triumphed, working diligently to make sure that it wouldn’t break. Finally, Kim, Alix and Nino had managed the feat too. Everyone was shocked at Max and Sabrina although they would have done it too if they had built something sturdier. Something that didn’t chip once it hit the ground. 

The losing teams had to clean up their mess whilst the winning teams got mini fairy cakes under the condition of keeping it a secret. He’d made sure to check allergies to food products which surprisingly no one had, making it safe to give them a few each. Despite Marinette being the daughter of bakers, she knew when to admit defeat. The cupcakes were as good or slightly better than her parents own. That wasn’t something that was easy to accomplish. It was even more surprising once a blushing Iruka admitted they were his own recipe. 

“Please tell me that you’re going to be our teacher for the rest of the year.”

“I can’t promise. And you might have Mrs Mendeleiv permanently. But I’ll try. Maybe next week, I could bring in my red velvet cookies with white chocolate chips, as an apology of sorts.”

“Sure. Though, are you sure it’s not too much effort?”

“Positive. I would spend my time making those if it meant that I could see a few more smiles. “

“Would you excuse us for a second please, sir?”

“No problem. I’ll just wait here and set up our next lesson. It’s going to be so much fun.” Marinette clicked the door shut before squealing.

“Guys, isn’t he _precious_? We have got to find a way to keep him.”

“No arguments here.” Said Juleka, surprisingly.

“We can just put in a good review and everyone knows how corrupt Damocles is. Just throw in a bribe.” Everyone gasped at Sherry's controversial but true statement. “What? How do you think I got in?”

“ _Legally_? You know what? I don’t want to know. But you’d make a badass character in my comic so I’m just going to file that information away for later.”

“You do you, my dude. Anyways, who’s going to do it?”

“I’ll do it. After all, my mother is the style queen of France. He’ll listen to me. And if he doesn’t? Well, I’ll make him listen.”

“Wow Chloé, you’ve changed.” Praised Nino.

“It’s not like I like you nerds or anything. That’s ridiculous.”

“ **Utterly ridiculous** ,” they chorused, making Chloé blush. “We’re just trying to make an effort after what Mari said.”

“Fine. You guys are quite tolerable after all.” A ghost of a smile flittered upon her lips which they all caught.

“Chloé,” they yelled moving to wrap her up in a bear hug. “we love you.”

“Back, you idiots. I just wanted to help out my friends, not get smothered by them.”

“As cute as this is, we left Iruka all alone. He must be so lonely.”

Lonely? He was not lonely. Not by any stretch of the imagination. He had been whistling whilst setting up for the next class. Which was not their own. Which they just realised. They were going to be late to Mrs Mendeleiv’s lesson. Which would probably land them in detention. Marinette couldn’t afford to have a detention. She still hadn’t finished her and Damian’s outfits. 

And the reveal was _tomorrow_. 

She grabbed her bag, threw a quick ‘have a nice day, Iruka sensei,’ and booked it to the next class.

Fortunately, she made it before the bell. Unfortunately, she had left her sketchbook in Iruka’s class and Mrs Mendeleiv wouldn’t let her go back and get it. Fortunately, very very fortunately, Nathaniel had noticed and grabbed it on his way out and still made it in time.

“Us artists have got to stick together.” He mouthed, flashing her a discrete wink.

“Thank you.” She whispered, banging her chest to show her respect.

And thus, began a boring lesson on quantitative chemistry. They were learning about Avogadro's constant when Mrs Mendeleiv dropped a pun.

“What was Avogadro’s favourite sport?” After being met with blank faces, she finished the joke herself.

“It was golf because he always got a _mole_ in one.” Both Mrs Mendeleiv and Adrien cackled whilst the rest of the class groaned. For that, she gave them more questions to answer, which inevitably led to Marinette checking the clock every five minutes. Alyssa–sorry– Sherry and Marinette played truth or dare in the back row and surprisingly did not get caught. The lesson ended with Sherry screaming ‘ _school's out, bitches’_ before running out of the classroom. Mrs Mendeleiv had given chase but ultimately was too slow to catch up with a student who was so pumped for the weekends. 

“Class. Dismissed.” Huffed Mrs Mendeleiv, significantly out of breath. She leant against her desk before collapsing into her armchair once she was sure everyone was gone. Then she let out a scream, which no one questioned because it was like that sometimes.

Marinette walked quicker, not wanting to be on the next victims of her wrath when Marinette had some important things to deal with. Like getting her room ready for Damian’s visit. Or finishing off their outfits. Or helping out in the bakery. There were too many things for her to do so it was important that she avoided Mendeleiv. Luckily, she did and got back in time to finish the suits and dresses in time for Damian’s fitting. He’d grown muscle mass but she’d anticipated, so if anything, it just enhanced his looks.

She actually blushed which he no doubt caught if the slight mirth in his eyes was anything to go by. Damian had been allowed to spend the night which was a bad idea. They hadn’t slept until 2am but at least the time scheduled was in the evening. So, they’d both be able to get in their beauty sleep. Marinette still giggled when she saw Damian’s eye mask because it reminded her of Chloé.

‘ _They'd get along so well.’_ She thought before drifting off to sleep.

The reveal was less than an hour away and Marinette still couldn’t find her makeup brush. She insisted on doing her own makeup, to be more ‘authentic’. She just wanted to put herself- her real self- out there and have no regrets. If people did not like her, then there was nothing more that she could do. It was their problem, not hers. And when the time came for her to announce herself, she knew exactly what she’d say.

“Some of you might know me as Marinette, some as the kind girl from the bakery and some as the ‘lowly baker’s daughter’. Gabriel Agreste, I’m looking at you. Most of you, however, will probably know me as MNW with the sparkly purple lettering embroidered seamlessly into the clothing. I have no idea why I’m even MNW but you can ask my partner in crime, Damian.”

“It’s not because Bruce adopted her, before you morons get it twisted. And it’s not because she wants to replace her parents either.”

“Yeah, maman and papa, if you’re seeing this I love you. You did everything you could to help me cope in those months I was away so I’ll be forever in your debt.” With a quick curtsey, she dropped the microphone back in Damian’s hand, giving his free one a quick squeeze. Then she was out of the spotlight, limping backstage, which did not go unnoticed by the audience.

“So, I named her MNW for anonymity, which she wanted to have because her idol trashed her work. To the point where he threatened to have her blacklisted. Funny thing though. She wanted to quit designing. Because of the man who belittled her. Can you believe that? I still can’t and I wasn’t much better when she told me first. The man who dresses like a _candy cane_ had enough hold over her to snuff out the flame in her eyes.” 

A chorus of ‘ _boo's_ ' erupted as Gabriel became incredibly pale at every word. See, Gabriel had never intended to have Marinette turn into this star. He thought he’d have her working under his thumb, where he could pass her designs off as his own. That was most of his prodigies did. Or at least most of his talented ones. She shouldn’t have been any different. But she was. One of the most talented designers had slipped through his fingers because of his selfish ambitions for a woman he didn’t even love.

“So anyways, his son doesn’t try and talk her out of it because ‘ _it’s her decision to make’._ But was it really her decision if she was pressured into it? By someone she admired? Everyone knows how hostile I can be when I want to, so one lecture from me was enough to send her back into her groove.”

“He lies! It was because of how cute he was. He was blushing and everything. “

“Can confirm! It was the day my OTP came true. And I still tear up about it.” Cried Dick. Damian was so happy that the makeup he had on was thick enough to hide his slight flush. It was only because it was hot in the room but it would damage his reputation if it got out.

“At this point, I’m still in France and I’m only finding out now that she has a boyfriend. “

“He jetted over to France to give me a lecture. How romantic, right?”

“Like I said, now she has a boyfriend. No one knows they’re dating, not even the boyfriend knows. So, they’re dating but then Marinette’s out for personal reasons. She’s not strong enough to do lessons online so she has no clue about the situation in school. In that time that she was in hospital, I was by her side and not once did her ‘boyfriend’ visit. It got to a point where the doctor said she wouldn’t make it. And here I am worried out of my mind, blowing up her boyfriend’s phone with messages. He reads them, I see the little blue ticks and he blocks me. But not before he sends me a very cryptic message.”

“I still don’t know what it is!”

“He says ‘ _my girl is right here with me. What are you talking about?’_ So, I’m baffled because he’s clearly lying, Marinette is right here, her hands clammy, skin pale. Her parents are pacing, both sobbing uncontrollably and I’m squeezing her hands. Her breathing is getting worse and at one point it looks like her heart is going to stop.”

“The doctor strolls in nonchalantly, beaming at us like our world’s _aren’t_ collapsing in on us. He gives us the verdict. She might not remember us. There’s an 80 percent chance that she won’t but, hey, in the last few days, there’s been slight cognitive activity. There’s a chance that her legs won’t ever be the same. She might not walk again. They said that 2 weeks ago, and she still hasn’t awoken. I start leaving notes by her bedside and they’ll be times were I’m thinking ‘that’s it, we’ve lost her' but then her heart rate monitor will spike, and suddenly there was hope.”

“I hadn’t slept for the past 4 days and it was starting to take a toll on me. But each time I felt the urge to drift off, the thing that kept me going was the hope that today was the day. And surely enough it was. She woke up and I’m sure I was a sight. More bags under my eyes than Drake. My eyes were sweating and at that point, I’m convinced that I looked slightly crazed. And then, she utters my name. It’s raspy and quiet, but it’s there. She looks pained to say the least, but she’s there!”

“I call Tom and Sabine and there at the hospital in minutes. They’re not holding up much better than me appearance-wise but they look across and... Marinette is awake. So, they race downstairs, call for the doctor, race back up, looking hardly chuffed. Tom is sobbing, muttering ‘my baby’ over and over whilst Sabine is rubbing circles into his back. She has one hand over her mouth, though, and her frame is shaking. And then, we’re forced out. Do you know how **_painful_** that is? She’s just woken up but she hasn’t said anything except from my name.”

“And now I’m feeling stupid because my shirt has my name emblazoned on it. Real conspicuous, right? Now, I have no idea if she recognises us or if she just read my name. I’m panicking, my best friend, a person I’ve loved for more than half of my life, is oblivious to what’s happening. What’s happened. She has no idea what has happened to her boyfriend or her grandma or even how she got here.” Damian had tears running down his face. A few audience members let out audible gasps, but felt the noticeable wetness on their own cheeks. 

“We wait a few agonising hours and we’re all clinging onto each other. My hands are trembling and when Todd arrives, I do something I never thought I’d do. I **hug** him. And he’s there, the only thing grounding me, quite literally too, at that moment. He’s pale, looks like a wreck and it’s almost comforting to see that I’m not the only messy one.”

“The comfort vanishes when a nurse comes running out of the room next to Marinette’s. It’s one I know well because that’s Gina’s room. The room I’d been in several times that week. She was fine earlier today, tired but it was normal. At least, in my fog induced haze, it was.”

“So, like I was saying, the nurse breaks into a run but slows down at the sight of us. I think nothing of it until she whispers _‘she’s not going to make it.’_ And at this point, I’m too tired to care or try to preserve my dignity so I scream ** _‘What!’_** The nurse fixes me with a glare and immediately jumps back into her conversation with the doctor.”

“I figure that if they’re not going to tell me what is happening, then I’ll find out myself. I move closer to them and they don’t notice me. And she says something that makes my heart stop.”

“‘Miss Dupain is dead.’ And then they call out for her family, who are conveniently right beside them. I can still remember the reaction. Tom had collapsed onto his chair, sobbing uncontrollably. Sabine was still yet she looked as if she was on the verge of screaming. Jason had gone feral baring his teeth because they hadn’t let him in to talk to her before she died. I can remember everyone else’s reactions but not my own.

“Everyone who had known Gina in her lifetime could easily tell you how full of life this woman was. Always alert but never limiting her kindness. And this will probably sound cheap to you if you didn't know her but it’s, well it’s not fine, but I understand. Because there was a point where it felt cheap to me. But when she came into my life, she stayed in my life. And that’s more than I can say for most.”

“Ok, so we’re not allowed to see Gina before her funeral, bullshit, but they denied our requests to do so. They do, however, take us to Marinette and make us tell her what has just happened. Tom tries but he’s looking everywhere but at her. Jason tries too but he knows he can’t contain his anger and doesn’t want to blow up at Mari. So, it’s up to me and when I tell her I choke down a sob. Because the first thing that we say, to indicate whether she remembered us is, ‘ _Gina’s dead'_.”

“And she has this scrunched up look on her face. She mutters ‘ _Gina who?’_ before letting out a raspy cough. And we’ve lost hope because shouldn’t she just recognise who we were talking about? But I can’t blame her because she’s been out for a hell of a long time so I whisper ‘ _Gina Dupain.’”_

“And then she surprises all of us. She tries to RIP off her drip but ends up ringing for assistance. She has this crazed yet defeated look in her eyes as she grasps my face. And then, she buries her face in my shoulder. And I can feel how damp it’s getting, but I stroke her back, crying into her hair. Not my _proudest_ moment I’ll admit but there’s finally a nurse in the room and blubbering Marinette is gone.”

“The nurse looks wary of her, with good reason too, but she listens to Marinette. She places her in her wheelchair, which she needed for support at the time, and wheels her to Gina’s room. Half an hour later she’s not out, so I go and check on her and she’s bent over, in a one-sided conversation with her. It’s not healthy for her, especially not right then, but in a way, I understood her. I leave her in there, checking every half an hour and when she’s finished, I noticed a tear-stained book in her hands.”

“In the last few pages, it’s a diary, of sorts. Gina wrote the name of the driver involved in the collision and about her worsening condition. But she also wrote how happy she’d be if her granddaughter woke up, even if she died. Her wish came true but we were all wondering at what cost.” Finished Damian, wiping frantically at his eyes.

“Thanks for that utterly bleak story, Dami. I’m picking up the story from after the funeral because I actually have no clue what happened at it. So, the next 2 months were really difficult. I felt a strain on my legs when I had to walk long distances, partially lost some of my hearing and had to go to therapy every other day. It was stressful. Incredibly stressful. I didn’t care that my boyfriend hadn’t said so much as a word to me for 3 months but I would be lying if I wasn’t concerned.”

“Oh, I forgot to mention the constant check-ups too. I’m not going to lie but I was in a really bad place when Gina died. I only really let Damian see me, voluntarily of course. He is my reason for still being alive. He found me before it was too late and then suddenly, I’m back in the hospital. Only this time, they won’t let me leave until they’re certain I won’t do it again. And I’m apologising profusely because why would they want to waste their time on a **burden** like me.”

“So, I agree. I won’t do it again. Only my eyes darken when I promise that and I know I’m probably lying. But Damian sticks to my side like glue and I can’t do anything or he’ll notice. I throw myself into designing, I actually made the dress I’m wearing now, when he was there. It actual symbolic I suppose. The dress slowly changes from dark to light, right? He rescued me from the dark and brought me back into the light." 

“Anyways, Damian is by my side even when I get ready to go back to school. He’s there when I walk in on my boyfriend and the new girl heavily kissing. My friends know about my humongous crush on him but have no idea I’m dating him. Some of them laugh at me, some have already come to the bakery to apologise and warn me. When they see us, they look at me with sympathy. And my old best friend sneers at me after a brief moment of tenderness. She turns around and cheers them on and I know I’m not owed anything. But that hurt.”

“Damian is being so helpful but at that moment my heart is shattering and I dart out. The new girl runs out after me and my boyfriend winces. I’m hiding but she still finds me. Me and my bestie have had a secret code from years back, so she repeats it and I’m like ‘Oh she came back for me'. And it’s great timing as well. She’s hesitant to come towards me and give me a hug though, which I kind of notice but cannot actually bring myself to care.”

“I should have cared because the new girl is my bestie. She tells me why she’s really here and what my boyfriend is doing. Apparently, they’ve kissed multiple times and ‘ _we aren’t dating. I’m just a friend,_ _nothing more_ ' which is incredibly hilarious. The reason he is dating my bestie is because she looks like Ladybug. And it’s true, I won’t lie.”

“So, I’m wondering why he’s going out with me when he forces us apart. He gets really touchy and then proceeds to call me out for ‘bullying'. The rest of the class jump on me too before newbie screams that she was a paid actress who was here to test them. And then she flees.”

“Now the class realise they messed up royally and minutes later they try to worm favours out of me. I refuse, like a **boss** , leave and ask for some space. Oh, and I go and dump my boyfriend at his house. He compared me to Ladybug and is still trying to get back together with me.”

“And well, that was the condensed summary of my wonderfully chaotic year. And it’s not even finished yet. But I know I’m ready for whatever it throws at me. That being said, I’ve been Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”

“I’ve been Damian Wayne.”

“And we’re signing off from this broadcast. Peace.” Marinette actually flashed a peace sign at the camera, before walking off albeit quite slowly. She’d gone into the dressing room to change into her outfit for the ceremony-turned-party before she called her transformation. 

Tikki had made her outfit more elegant. It was a jumpsuit with black polka dots. The trousers were a slim fit with lacy hems at the bottom. The top was a rose gold colour, pretty but quite impractical as she was emblematic of a ladybug. She had a sheer coat on top with clear boots on at the bottom. After all, there was no use in her getting sick in winter. Finally, Tikki wove in pink highlights into her hair. Double buns sat atop on her free flowing, mid back length hair. Tikki had also given her a short fringe, slightly hiding one eye.

She had sent Chat a message to meet her on the abandoned floor of the Eiffel Tower, where Chloé had found the bee miraculous. Marinette already knew what to expect when she arrived, red roses, a picnic blanket and some food. The food was always from their bakery, ironically enough. She’d always stuff her pockets with cookies he gave her. It would be rude to decline free food that she could give to her kwami. But tonight, was different. She didn’t take the food because she was here, strictly for business. There was no use giving Chat Noir the wrong idea.

“Hey, Ladybug. Can I rant a little?”

“Sure.” It wouldn’t hurt to hear what he wanted to say.

“There’s this girl. My ex. She’s being so dramatic. I’ve told her I love her but she doesn’t want me anymore. Because I kissed her best friend. And now she’s hanging out with someone rich. Like with boatloads of money. I was convinced that my father was right. I think she was trying to use me to climb up into the fashion world. Which she has. She’s a world-famous designer now but still. She’s nothing but a _gold digger._ ”

Actually, a little trolling wouldn’t hurt. And since he was Adrien, he deserved what she was about to serve him. Whoever said revenge was a dish served cold was a liar.

It was a dish best served **petty**.

“Chat, I wanted us to reveal our identities.”

“Really?” By every stretch of the imagination, Chat looked like a puppy that had just got his scritches. His ears were wagging, tail bouncing side to side and his eyes were sparkling. She felt guilty, and had considered ending her prank when he opened his mouth. 

“M’lady, have you finally accepted that we’re meant to be? Without each other, we’d be _miserable_.”

“No Chaton. I want to reveal my identity but I’m scared you won’t like me for who I am under the mask. After all, my crush didn’t. He thought I was an _obsessed_ fan girl at first.”

“LB I’m not like that. You know that I would never do that. He must have been a real idiot.” 

“That’s what they all say. You know, I thought he was a literal angel, standing up against what was wrong. But I was wrong. He just knows how to placate the bully enough so that the boat isn’t rocked.”

“Ladybug, he doesn’t sound worthy of you at all.” 

“I know that now. Adrien was my first love. I loved him more than I love myself which always scared me. The fact that I fell so quickly and deeply in love with someone I knew quite little about.”

“We have more in common than you thought Buginette.”

“Wait, you loved Adrien Agreste too?”

“Huh? No... I meant you. Wait. _**Adrien Agreste?!** _All this time you were in love with him?”

“Yes. It’s so painful to admit though. He-I confessed and he ran away. And being an Agreste, he ran fast. Especially once he hopped into his car.” Chat looked like he was at a loss for words. He gnawed on his lips and his eyes looked like they were about to bulge out of his sockets. He couldn’t have looked more comical if he tried.

“I wasn’t the first that it happened to. And I certainly wasn’t the last either.” 

‘ _Welp_ ,’ Chat thought. _‘That rules out Janet and Chantelle.’_

“Well, are you mad at him?”

“Mad? No!” Chat heaved a sigh of relief at her statement. “I’m fuming. He had the audacity to come back the next day and kiss me, on the lips too, whilst I was recovering from my heartbreak. That arrogant, spineless, deceitful prick acted like everything was normal. In what warped world is that normal?”

“Never took you as one with a potty mouth, Milady. And don’t you think you’re being a little too harsh on the sheltered angel?”

“Hard? Please, this is me being soft. He claimed he loves Ladybug but ignores the girl behind the mask. Hell, all the girls he’s dated have one link between them. They all look like me. And at this point, I feel like I’ve dodged a bullet. He didn’t love me. He **idolised** me. I physically can’t bring myself to care about him.”

“You can’t mean that?” Chat had been gripping onto the ledge quite tightly. His gloves were rumpled and his face was pale. He had been turning a slightly interesting shade of green when she snapped her fingers quite loudly. 

“Hmm. I meant that sincerely. I can confidently say I hate him. Ironic, isn’t it? A few months ago, I was planning our wedding, the names of our kids and the type of house we’d live in. Now, I want nothing to do with him. Not after he cheated on me.”

“ _No_ ,” he whispered.

“With my bestie no less. And called me ‘just a friend’ without hesitation. Let’s not forget how engrossed he was when he was kissing a girl who wasn’t his girlfriend.”

“No. No. **_No!_** ”

“A girlfriend who he seemed to be embarrassed of, if the secret dating was any indication.”

“You can’t be her. Please, no.”

“What’s the matter Chat? Or what should I call you, sweetheart, Adrien?”

“No... you-there's no way. You aren’t Marinette. You can’t be Marinette.”

“Suprise, kitty.” She called off her transformation, leaving her in a simple shirt that had ‘I’m a nerd and simp. Come at me!’ scribbled on it. She had ripped skinny jeans on with a simple button up denim jacket. She finished it off with purple leather boots. “I hope you’re happy with your choice, Adrien. Ironic, really. The girl you never thought could be Ladybug was actually her the entire time.”

“I’m not- how am I Adrien?” he spluttered. 

“It was simple to figure out. I mean you and well you said the exact same thing minutes apart. And don’t think I forgot what you said about me. Who turned out to be M.N.W? Moi. _Am I still talentless? Subpar? Mediocre? A gold digger_? Say that bull again and I might actually believe you.” She cackled. God, she’d been spending _too_ much time with Alyssa. She was turning into a drama queen, just like Alyssa.

“The cat’s out of the bag I guess. No need for me to hide from you anymore.”

“Oh, there’s plenty of reasons why it would be wise to stay _far far far_ away from me at this moment.” 

“Mari-"

“Don’t call me that!”

“Oh, come on, we both love each other.”

“Loved but continue. I know I’d love to hear where **_this_** is going.”

“Mari-" 

“What did I just say?”

“Marinette, I love both sides of you. I thought I made that clear when we started dating. I was blinded by the prospect of finding Ladybug. That’s the only reason why I kissed Alyssa.”

“So, _she’s not cute_? She wasn’t a _good kisser_? She doesn’t look _good in red_? She isn’t **_hotter_** than me? Because you _definitely_ didn’t say any of that about her, right? We’re just going to _pretend_ that those last few months didn’t happen, yeah?”

“Preferably, yes.”

“Do you know how badly I was hurt by finding out from my best friend, not even from you, that you had been flirting and kissing each other? How badly it hurt when I realised that you had kissed her before you came and kissed me? Do you remember that day?”

“It was the day that we had one of our best kisses.”

“I hope, I hope you have to suffer through that day, although it’s probably enjoyable to you. I had a hard time rediscovering my self worth. I still have a hard time not feeling like I was tainted by your mark. By your kisses. By your hold.”

“Mari-nette. I’m sorry. But I told you from day one that I fell in love with you. Both inside and out of the suits.” He began to caress her cheek and Marinette could feel herself relax into his touch. “Marinette, I was blind. But could you take a chance on a home-schooled kid trying to right his wrong?”

“No.” She muttered, ripping her cheek away from his grasp. Her eyes never left the floor, seemingly finding the pristine nature of it more interesting than him.

“What do you mean, no? Didn’t you hear anything I just said? I’m sorry and I’m trying so can’t we just go back to dating?”

“Adrien, tell me honesty, why did you ask me out before Alyssa came?”

“Alya pressured me into it. I **MEAN** I found out how cool and funny you could be when you weren’t stuttering your way through a conversation. It was cute, don’t get me wrong but it was quite difficult to understand on our dates.”

“That’s the problem though. It’s both of our faults. You never saw me as more than a friend until now and my crush crossed the threshold of unhealthy a long time ago.”

“We dated for so long. Even if it was secret, what I felt for you was _indescribable_. There was that feeling of desire and longing. We loved each other, we just felt right together.”

“Two wrongs don’t make a right. Obsession and infatuation are never good pairs and we proved it. Question. When love is reversed, what is the outcome? **Hate**. Hate consumed me. Self-loathing consumed me. My heart became battered and bruised. There’s a limit of pain that I can take. You would create a problem and then completely ignore said problem. Or you’d blame it on me. It became a routine. A toxic cycle.”

“What? Name one time I’ve done that.”

“You’d complain about us not seeing each other because I was ‘ _too busy_ ’ and didn’t care enough about our relationship. When you were the one who left me waiting hours on end. Before the whole debacle, you’d compare me to Ladybug. ‘ _You need to be more confident. Like Ladybug’_ or _‘your hair looks pretty in a bun but you looked cuter with pigtails.’_ ”

“Why does it matter? You’re Ladybug inside and out. You’re My Lady with or without the suit. So, why does it matter so much?”

“It’s not like Ladybug isn’t part of me. In fact, I feel more like myself as Ladybug. But the point is that there are two sides to me. You look at me and what do you see? Ladybug. Not Marinette too. You proved how fickle your relationship with me was. You found something more exhilarating and left me. Again, don’t come _crawling_ back to me when you found out how wrong your decision was.”

“We can try Milady. I just need one chance. You kind of owe me for bailing on me and keeping the secrets of the Guardian.”

“No Agreste. I don’t **owe** you anything. You’re lucky you still even have the ring. If it were up to me, you’d be long gone. It’s because of how much Plagg adores you so count yourself lucky. And I meant what I said. I hate you. So, stay away.” She spat the last sentence out with so much heat and venom that Adrien leapt away.

“Is this really what you want? Fur me to stay away?”

“Yes.”

“No purromises. Milady remember though that no one loves you as much as I do. We’re fated to be with each other but I’ll wait as long as you need.”

“Wait for what?”

“Fur you to realise that we’re meant to be. You’ll still be mine Ladybug. Don’t forget it.” With a barrel roll, he hopped back to his manor, leaving with the exact same understanding that he had arrived with. He hadn’t learnt anything from this reveal. Maybe she should have taken away his ring.

It didn’t change the fact that Tikki was proud of her owner. And if Adrien was hexed with permanent bad luck- well she had _nothing_ to do with it.


End file.
